Once Upon A Time
by 2p-talian
Summary: Being a royal is heaven for young and handsome Prince Feliciano, however, someone else wants his spot on the throne and is willing to do anything to get it. He must fight for his life to return to his castle and regain his position as king, before the land is plunged into ruin and disrepair. Even then, he must deal with the challenges of ruling a nation in his grandfathers steps.
1. Our Story Begins

Once upon a time, there was a far off kingdom. It was peaceful, there were no wars, no starvation, no troubles of any kind. The king was a kind and gentle old man with two young grandsons. Lovino was the oldest of the two. He was stern and often angry. His younger brother Feliciano was the exact opposite. He was sweet and gentle to everyone and everything. The wise king wanted to give the throne to Feliciano, fearing his older grandson's short temper. The boys were still young through, and had plenty of time to make him change his mind.

There was a second king in this land. He was the kings other half, as they called it. Everyone in the kingdom was born with a second half, an evil, dark half, who only craved for destruction and pain. The halves completed each other, and had to find balance, in order to exist together. If that balance was destroyed, the land would crumble and life would cease to exist.

* * *

"Your majesty. It is time to wake up." Whispered a deep voice. The curtains were drawn back by a tall blond man, letting the sunlight pour in. The young prince moaned and rolled over, pulling a pillow over his head. "Now is not the day to be lazy, now get up." The tall man said as he pulled the blankets away. The prince still refused to wake up though, curling up in a little ball, fighting against the struggles of staying warm, and staying asleep. "PRINCE FELICIANO, YOU NEED TO WAKE UP." The tall man shouted.

Prince Feliciano screamed and fell out of bed. "Ludwig, I was having a great dream and now it is gone." The prince looked down sadly and stood up. Ludwig rolled his eyes and put the blankets back on the bed. "Why can't I sleep in just once?"

"You need to go train. If you are going to run this kingdom someday, you need to be properly educated." Ludwig stated as he made the bed. Prince Feliciano however, had a different idea. As soon as the blankets were spread perfectly, he collapsed back onto the bed, fast asleep. Ludwig cursed under his breath and picked Feliciano up, laying him down in the hall.

"Hey, I was trying to sleep there." The prince whined from the floor. Ludwig towered over him and closed the door.

"You need to go downstairs and eat while I clean up your mess." Ludwig called out as he began to tidy up the room. Feliciano sighed and walked down the hall. Him and his older brothers all lived in a large castle on the outskirts of a large village. When they were little, Feliciano and Ludwig would try to count all of the rooms, however, they always gave up when they got past 100. Feliciano's room was on the very top floor, making it a pain to eat breakfast. The castle was always chilly in the morning. For some reason, it felt colder than usual to the prince.

He walked down a long hallway and down some more stairs. Suddenly, his stomach started to growl, so he began to jog to the eating hall. His brother and grandfather were already sitting, enjoying their food. As soon as Feliciano entered, they stopped. The entire staff stopped as well. Lovino smacked his face onto the table, embarrassed.

"Feliciano... aren't you forgetting something?" Their grandfather said sternly. Feliciano yawned and looked at him confused. A few maids passed by giggling.

"What? Ludwig just told me to come out here to eat... am I missing something? Is today an important day?" Feliciano asked confused.

"Oh my god, you dumbass!" Lovino shouted. "You forgot to put on clothes!" He slapped his hand to his forehead. Feliciano looked down and turned bright red. Their grandfather let out a loud laugh.

" Feliciano, why don't you go put on some clothes, then you can eat with us, well, provided Lovino hasn't lost his appetite." The kind old gentleman laughed. Feliciano nodded and ran upstairs, his face getting even darker when he ran into more maids. He sprinted into his room, slamming the door. Ludwig looked at him surprised.

"Ludwig, that was a dirty trick." Feliciano growled. Ludwig simply let out a quiet laugh. Feliciano ran over and grabbed an outfit, still angered by the prank.

"So you finally noticed." Ludwig said. Despite his colder outer shell, he was always willing to let loose and have fun around Feliciano. They were raised together ever since they were young boys. Ludwig's father was hanged for treason. The king took in the poor scared boy and let him live in the castle. After the lessons with Roderich were done, him and Feliciano would go exploring and have fun. However, after a serious head injury, Ludwig lost all of those childhood memories. Feliciano had made it his life goal to make new and better memories with him since that day. With Ludwig as his official assistant, he could make plenty of memories.

"I didn't notice, everyone else did." Feliciano looked down at a mirror, making sure the outfit was perfect. He looked at his messy brown hair, with a wild curl coming from nowhere. He had light brown eyes, that were always smiling, even if his mouth wasn't. He wasn't very muscular like Ludwig, but he wasn't completely weak either. He had surprisingly light skin compared to his brother and grandfather, but at the moment his face was still red. He couldn't believe all of the maids had just seen him nude.

"Oh... well, that is what you get for sleeping in so late. Next time I tell you to get up, you should do it." Ludwig said as he picked up a few pairs of dirty pants.

"Fine, I will get up next time." Feliciano promised, facing his friend.

"Right, and the next time you break that promise, I will fill your bathtub with the iciest water in the kingdom and give you a special bath." Ludwig threatened, waving a sock at the shorter man as he spoke. Feliciano gulped, he knew Ludwig was serious. He always went through with his threats, especially if it had to do with Feliciano not waking up in the morning. The young prince was about to speak when giggling maid walked into the room.

"Excuse me, but Prince Lovino and King Romulus are waiting for you." The maid said quietly. Feliciano recognized her as one of the maids from the hallway. He nodded and sent her on her way.

"I can't believe you did that to me Ludwig. How can I face my family after something like that. " Feliciano laid down in bed. "Wake me up at the end of the month." The sad prince sighed.

"But then you will miss the warm September weather. Your majesty, just go down there with that smile thing that you always have and face your grandfather, it can't be that hard." Ludwig shrugged and sat on the bed.

"Yeah but... I overheard grandpa talking one night... he said that if I can prove that I am responsible, then he would hand the throne to me and not Lovino, what if this ruined it." Feliciano looked up at him worried.

"I have known your grandfather my whole life, if there is one thing I know, it's that he adores you. He knows you try your best and he knows that you are perfect for this kingdom. Something like this is going to be more humorous than anything to him, now calm down." Ludwig explained, throwing a pillow at him. "Now go eat, before I give you a bath." Ludwig had a very faint smile on his face.

"Fine." The prince was laughing. He threw another pillow at Ludwig before sprinting back down the stairs to his brother and grandfather. They continued on with breakfast, laughing. As always, Ludwig was right. King Romulus was laughing about the whole situation, and only laughed harder when Feliciano had explained everything that had happened. Lovino rolled his eyes the entire time, not even cracking a smile.

"Hola." Called a happy voice. Lovino's assistant walked down into the eating hall, a wide smile on his face. "Good morning everyone." He said cheerfully. His name was Antonio. He lived in the castle and did pretty much the same things as Ludwig, only instead of helping Feliciano, he helped out Lovino.

"Get out of here you damn bastard." Lovino growled. He hated Antonio more than anyone else in the castle. Everything about him was stupid, especially the way he was always smiling and happy. Him and Lovino were almost exact opposites. People were always amazed that two people who were so different could be so close. Feliciano wasn't surprised in the slightest though. Him and Ludwig were almost complete opposites and they were also best friends, and nothing could tear them apart.

Heavy footsteps were heard coming downstairs. It seemed to get colder in the castle and the candles seemed to get dimmer. Feliciano cowered down. There was something off in their happy home. A dark shadow was seen in the hall, no, not one but three. The others walked into the hall. The first other was the other king. He stood like a mountain, a rough beard hiding his face. He glared at everyone and every thing. Following him was the other Lovino. His name was actually Flavio, and he was spoiled. He was always seen complaining about the littlest things. Finally, the worst of the three, the other Feliciano, Luciano. He had piercing magenta eyes and a small smirk. There was nobody more terrifying than him.

"King Remus... We have been awaiting your arrival." King Romulus smiled. His other walked over to him, still glaring. His sons followed close behind him wherever he went.

"Shut the hell up... We have business to attend to." King Remus growled. King Romulus nodded and stood. The two of them left the room, leaving the sons alone in the same room together. Feliciano glanced at his other self, terrified. If his grandfather would have stayed, then maybe he wouldn't have been so scared. He knew the others couldn't hurt him, but he still feared them, especially Luciano. There was something not quite right about him.

* * *

**So, I decided I wanted to start another series (even though I have some that still need finishing). I chose to do a fantasy theme and go along with princes and kings and all of that fun kind of stuff. Please, review and tell me what you think, what you have questions on, or constructive criticism. I really like hearing what you all think. Thanks for reading.**


	2. The Second Chapter Of Our Story

"Master Lovino, we should go. It is time for your studies with Roderich." Antonio said. He put his hand on Lovino's shoulder. Lovino slapped his hand away and glared up at his dear friend. "Please, you know how he gets hen you are late for your lessons." Antonio murmured.

"Aw, don't you want to spend some time with me Lovi?" Flavio asked with a wicked laugh. He pushed his blond hair away from his pale face. He walked over and stood next to Lovino. Feliciano noticed that when he walked, his steps were so smooth, it was as if he were gliding. It was so different from Lovino's clumsy walk.

"Get the hell away from me, stupid bastard!" Lovino commanded. Antonio stepped between the two, wanting to avoid a fight. Flavio simply pushed him aside without a problem.

"Now now Lovino, that isn't very nice. I might have to teach you a lesson in manners." Flavio snapped. His pink eyes were glaring into Lovino's brown ones. Feliciano saw fear in his brother's eyes, even from across the room. Antonio saw it too and gently lifted Lovino out of his chair.

"We should really be getting to Roderich." Antonio stated, trying to keep his voice from shaking. Flavio smirked and sat down in his chair, throwing his feet on the table. Suddenly, his gaze turned to Feliciano. "And what are you still doing here?" He asked, sticking his nose up in the air slightly. Feliciano couldn't find words. They were trapped in the back of his throat, refusing to come out.

The large oak doors opened and the two kings walked out. King Remus scratched his beard and walked over to his troublesome grandsons. King Romulus put his arm around Feliciano. "Come my child, let us go upstairs. I need to talk to you and your brother. I wish you a good day King Remus." King Romulus slowly walked up the stairs. Feliciano had trouble walking, his grandfather seemed to put all of his weight on his shoulders.

* * *

"Grandfather, is he really going to be the head of the throne?" Luciano questioned his grandfather. King Remus looked down at him, glaring.

"Unfortunately yes. He isn't right for the throne." The old man replied. Luciano looked at the ground as he walked. The fact that Feliciano would take the throne enraged him. He hated that pathetic waste of royalty.

"Grandfather... is it possible for... someone other than Feliciano, lets say for instance... me, to take the throne?" Luciano asked. He had to know if there was something to do to save the kingdom from Feliciano. He would doom them all, he was the worst possible choice for a new king.

"Well... Feliciano was chosen to be the king. If _something_ were to happen to him, then Flavio would take charge. If _someone_ were to get rid of them, then ideally, you would be the next in charge. So if you are going to make your move Luciano, you better do it fast." King Remus looked down with a creepy and knowing smile. Luciano smirked and reached into his pocket. He pulled out one of his many prized knives and smiled. Soon there would be a new king, and it wouldn't be Feliciano.

* * *

King Romulus and Prince Feliciano entered a large library. The walls were covered in books, all the way up to the ceilings, about a hundred feet off the ground. They walked over to the other side of the large room. There was an area that was nothing but tables and desks. Sitting at one of the desks was a taller man wearing a dark blue coat and glasses. He had a book open in front of him and was reading out loud to Lovino. Unfortunately, the prince wasn't paying attention and was to busy kicking Antonio under the table. The happy assistant kept trying to pass him notes.

"Excuse me Roderich, but I must borrow my grandson for a while. He will continue his lessons tomorrow." King Romulus ordered. The man with glasses looked up. He cast a glance at Lovino.

"Alright, if you must." He said in a hushed voice. "Lovino, you have been excused from your lessons. Your grandfather requires you." Roderich ordered. Lovino let out a sigh of relief. He had been starting to doze off before he jogged over to his grandfather. "Your majesty, make sure he doesn't skip lessons tomorrow, as he did yesterday... and the day before that... and the day before that... and even the day before that." Roderich said sternly. The king nodded and left with his grandsons, leaving Antonio and Roderich alone.

"Grandpa, where are we going? Is something wrong? Does this have something to do with the others?" Feliciano asked. The king held up his hand as a symbol for him to stop talking.

"All of your questions will be answered." The king replied. They walked through a long stone hallway and down a spiraling stone stairway. The only source of light were torches flickering along the walls. Feliciano had never gone down this hall before, he was always afraid of the dark. Even Ludwig avoided this hallway. They reached the bottom and entered a dimly lit room. Feliciano looked around the walls. They were bare, except for bookshelves, covered in moldy old books. There was a heavy oak table in the center of the room and a few old chairs.

"Grandfather, what is this place?" Lovino asked as he looked around the room. He had to put his shirt over his nose in order to cover up the musty smell.

"This is where me and King Remus do business. Feliciano, Lovino... I am a very sick man. I don't have much longer to live." The old man said softly.

"Grandfather?" There was panic in Lovino's voice? It was shaky and frail, like that of a scared child. Feliciano couldn't speak. Just like when he was with Flavio, the words refused to come out.

"Lovino, you are a brilliant young man, and you have amazed me with your intelligence and bravery. Feliciano, your kindness and understanding has made me so proud of you. Both of you, I am happy to know I have such wonderful grandsons. I am depressed that our time together could not have lasted longer, but there needs to be an heir to the throne. I always thought your father would be the next in charge, but fate would not allow that." There was a moment of silence for their father. He had gotten sick and died, then, a few months later, their mother met the same fate.

"I have decided that you will rule the kingdom Feliciano. Lovino, you will help your little brother out whenever he needs trouble. If something were to happen, you would be in charge... I love you both with all of my heart. I couldn't be more proud of you both." There were tears in the old mans eyes as he spoke.

"What? But Grandfather, I am the oldest, I should be the one to rule the kingdom, not Feliciano!" Lovino shouted. Feliciano jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. The king however, kept a calm face and looked his grandson in the eyes. "It isn't fair. I have sat through Roderichs boring studies, I am smarter than him and better than him, so the throne should be mine!" Lovino continued to shout.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" King Romulus yelled. His voice was deep and threatening. Both of the brothers shrank at the sound of his booming voice. "Lovino, your flaw is that you are greedy and you can be cruel without meaning to be. You need to learn to control your temper before you rule over a kingdom, especially this one." He explained, his voice returning to it's normal soft tones. "I need you to stand by your brother when I go." His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.

"Please, I don't want to be king. Give the throne to Lovino, I don't want it." Feliciano whined. He hugged his grandfather tightly, afraid that if he let go, he would lose him forever. King Romulus wrapped his arms around his grandson, holding him close.

"I love you both so much... with all of my heart." The king whispered, crying gently.


	3. The Third Chapter Of Our Story

Many weeks passed, the old king had still not gotten any better. Each day, he looked worse and worse. It wasn't long before he couldn't leave his bed. The only time Feliciano left his side was when Roderich and Ludwig dragged him from the room. Feliciano couldn't stand the thought of his grandfather being left alone. What if something were to happen to him? He could pass away at any moment and Feliciano wanted to be there to at least make sure he didn't. Waking up each morning to find his grandfather breathing was a blessing to the young prince.

"Master, you must eat." Roderich commanded. He had started to take care of the princes in the kings place. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Feliciano to eat. The young prince was starving himself with worry over his beloved grandfather. "Please, you aren't doing anything good for yourself. Just try to eat something." Roderich sighed. It was no use. His words seemed to go in one ear and out the other. He was just about to give up when a beautiful young maid walked over to the prince.

"Sir, please, you should eat, your grandfather is fine, but if you don't eat, then you won't be." She gently touched his shoulder. Feliciano looked up at her. She was his favorite maid. Her name was Elizabeta. She had long brown hair and a flower holding it back. She was wearing a pretty dress with an apron. She had practically raised the young prince and was like a big sister to him. Feliciano looked down at his eggs and slowly started to eat. She gave him a reassuring smile and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you very much Elizabeta." Roderich said quietly. The maid looked up at him and gave him a smile, making him blush. Feliciano knew Roderich had feelings for her, but he would always be to nervous and scared to tell her. He was just naturally awkward towards her. Feliciano always thought it was funny when he was little. He liked to watch Roderich get red and trip whenever she was around. His day dreaming was interrupted by Ludwig sprinting down the stairs and over to the table.

"Th-the king... he..." Ludwig didn't even get to finish when everyone was sprinting up the stairs. Everyone stormed into the room. It was clear that King Romulus only had a few minutes. Feliciano and Lovino both ran over to him and grabbed his hands.

"Grandfather?" Lovino whispered. The king had his eyes shut, but a small moan escaped his lips. The princes looked at him, scared. Gently, the old man opened his eyes and looked at each of them.

"I... love you both... so much... with all of my heart." King Romulus spoke his last words, then fell into a deep sleep that he would never awake from. The brothers laid their heads down and cried. Everyone in the room had tears streaming down their faces, even Ludwig. King Romulus was more of a father figure to him than his own father.

"Roderich, you should spread the word that... the king has died." Ludwig spoke softly. Roderich nodded and swiftly left the room. The tall blond man walked over to Feliciano and put a hand on his shoulder. The prince looked up at him and wiped away a few tears, but it did no good. He jumped into Ludwig's arms and continued to cry.

* * *

"Grandfather?" Luciano glanced at the old king as he fell to his knees. Flavio rushed over to him to try and help him up. "Get up old man, we have to keep going." Luciano said without mercy. King Remus glared up at him.

"My time in this world has ended and that is all you can say." He hissed. Flavio put his arms around him. "You remember everything I taught you, remember the plan." The king whispered. Luciano turned away. Deep down, he was terrified. He had a tough outer shell that would not let him show his true feelings though.

"No grandfather, you can pull through, please." Flavio cried, holding him close. King Remus paid him no mind, instead, all of his attention was turned towards Luciano.

"I know you will be great for this kingdom and you will achieve greatness Luciano... I care about you, no matter how much you may hate me." The more he spoke, the more the king's voice started to shake. He coughed violently, splattering blood all over the ground. Flavio let out a screech and backed away from the blood. The old king took his last breath and fell silent. Luciano turned around, revealing the tears streaming down his cheeks. Flavio was sobbing over their fallen grandfather.

* * *

"Feliciano?" Ludwig whispered as he cracked the door open. The prince hadn't left his bed all week. "Please come out. We need you... We need your smile to cheer us up." Ludwig poked his head into the room. Feliciano was laying in bed still, his eyes were puffy and red from crying. Ludwig walked over and sat in the bed, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everyone misses you, we want you to come out. Please Feliciano, the castle is quiet without your laugh." The large man's lip began to shake as tears ran down his cheeks. "Please Feliciano. It has been a week, we need you." Ludwig's words met with silence. Feliciano was breathing, but not living. He couldn't live without the strong, kind man his grandfather was.

"Ludwig, please leave me alone." Feliciano whispered. Ludwig looked at him shocked and slowly stood up. This wasn't the same prince he had been friends with as long as he could remember. This was someone else, an impostor, it had to be. Feliciano would never be like this. He always had a smile on his face and was always laughing. Now he was just a hollow shell of the man he once was. Ludwig left the room and wiped his cheeks off, smearing the tears around.

"Did he come out?" Antonio asked worried. Ludwig shook his head and looked at the door. "Poor boy. Maybe I should go see if I can help." Antonio entered the room and laid down next to Feliciano. "Hola... Feliciano if you need to talk to someone, you can always come to me. I want you to be happy." He sat up and gently lifted Feliciano, holding him close like he was a teddy bear. Feliciano slowly wrapped his arms around him and continued crying. Antonio held him until there were no more tears to be shed. "You know, Lovino misses you a lot. Maybe you should go out and see him." Antonio suggested. Feliciano sat up and nodded, walking out the door slowly.

"You got him to leave? I am impressed." Ludwig smiled a bit seeing his friend leave his room and head downstairs. Antonio smiled a bit.

"Yeah, I told him Lovino misses him. I swear, those two wouldn't be able to live without each other." Antonio let out a small laugh and walked with Ludwig. As soon as they entered the large sitting room, they saw the brothers holding each other. Even if they lost their home, as long as they had each other, they would survive. Lovino looked down at his little brother.

"We will make it. I know we will." He said softly. It was rare that Lovino showed his soft side, but when he did, it was always towards his brother.

"Lovino, what will we do?" Feliciano asked scared. Lovino shook his head and shushed him. Feliciano sat silently in his arms, shaking slightly. "I don't want to be the king. I want you to be the king." He cried out. Lovino continued to shake his head.

"No Feliciano, grandfather chose you, not me. He believed in you and I do too. I know you can do it. You will be an excellent king." Lovino said quietly.


End file.
